Conscience keeper...

My friend Vivek and I were discussing Atticus Finch the other day... He's probably my favorite fictional character. Sometimes I get the feeling he isn't even fictional. It's just that every time I read about Atticus I feel secure- like he was a father or uncle figure. Just someone who could always tell you what to do when faced with a problem; someone you could trust to tell you right from wrong. Vivek thinks I’m a bit like Scout which I probably am. I look up to my brother, Karthik, in the way Scout looked up to Jem. I would’ve been quite like her when I was young… There’s this part…
At one point Jem responds to Scout's protests about a night visit to the Radley Place telling her: "Scout, I'm tellin' you for the last time, shut your trap or go home--I declare to the Lord you're gettin' more like a girl every day!" With that, Scout says, she had no option but to join them…
I’ve always felt that I tried unconsciously to be very un-girl in order to win my brother’s approval; to get along with him and my cousin, Hari. I don’t mind really- this way I got to enjoy some of the advantages of being a bit of a tom-boy- it’s a ready-made excuse for being a dirty pig. Indian mothers think its ok for guys to be filthy but not girls…
Getting back to Atticus, he’s just brilliant really..! Imagine what sort of singular courage you must have to brave the entire society’s wrath and defend Tom Robinson. He did more than defend Tom Robinson- he defended his entire belief system. His integrity is peerless and the most inspirational thing I’ve ever read about. (Except possibly Irving Stone’s description of Michelangelo sculpting the statue of David) I could go on and on and on when writing about Atticus of course but I’ve got to go read my Chekov book… So to sum it up, Atticus rocks, and if I’m ever wondering what to do in a situation, I’ll just pick up ‘To kill a mockingbird’ and Atticus will point to the way…